SAFEGUARDING
Accepting that risk management and care
delivery are intrinsically linked is essential to success.
weighing up risk versus danger that we cannot eliminate either. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) focuses on the need for a proportionate and balanced approach to risk however, care providers can struggle to get this balance in place.
Accepting that risk management and care delivery are intrinsically linked is essential to success. Leaders in healthcare need to be able to identify and evaluate risk whilst being proactive and reactive in their approach, which will reduce risk and aid with incident prevention. This can be embedded via a step-by-step process where initially you carry out effective risk assessment processes:
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Implementing policies and procedures, which support a balanced approach to risk.
• Completing a risk register to give oversight of the service and enable the prioritisation of risk.
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Creating risk assessments that are both effective in practice and not paperwork heavy.
• Tailoring risk assessments to the person’s needs and choices, as this will have the positive approach to dignity, independence, and choice.
MONITORING OUTCOMES The next step of the approach is to review and evaluate risk assessments on a regular basis, to ensure they are still up to date and viable. Including the person and those important to them to ensure they are happy with the outcomes is vital.
Finally, linking the risk assessment process to the governance framework will enable the monitoring of outcomes, whilst reviewing the balanced approach to positive risk taking. This can be formulated through daily managers audits, spot checks,
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targeted audits and a trend analysis. The implementation of an incident trend analysis can be a vital way of a service identifying trends and acting on them. This approach links directly to the key lines of enquiry (KLoE): What arrangements are there to manage risk, and to make sure that people are involved in decisions about any risk they may take? How do risk management policies and procedures minimise restrictions? And, how are lessons learned and themes identified?
To achieve all of the above the following key principles can be followed:
Concentrating on risk - this appears an obvious approach to take, however identifying what is actual risk in the first instance will aid in prioritising proportionate risk assessments. Checking if there is a realistic risk of harm to the person can really help in balancing the risk.
Partnership working – liaison with those involved in care is essential. Involving the person and those that are important to them can ensure complete transparency and choice for them. Identify those who will be beneficial in reducing the risk, such as occupational therapists and physiotherapist and involve them.
Looking at the least restrictive approach – this is key to ensuring that the individual’s choice or best interests are considered so far as reasonably practicable.
Putting sensible measures in place – ensuring they are achievable measures that can be evidenced.
These processes will allow providers and managers the opportunity to gain a crucial insight into their service and will aid in providing information required to create an action plan for the service, showing continuous improvement, sustainability and lessons learnt.
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